Pakistan test-fires nuke-capable missile

Pakistan’s military says it has successfully test-fired a short-range missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The military said in a statement that the missile codenamed ‘Ghaznavi’ was launched from an undisclosed location on Tuesday and has a range of 290 kilometers.

Army spokesman Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa also said the test was conducted during a field training exercise supervised by top military commanders.

“The test-firing was another milestone which has further strengthened the defense potential of Pakistan,” media outlets quoted the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Rashad Mahmood as saying.

Pakistani military routinely test various missiles to match those of India.

Pakistani authorities have frequently reiterated that nuclear deterrence is the basis of the country’s security policy and that they have no intention of using the missiles aggressively.

India and Pakistan have routinely carried out missile tests since both demonstrated nuclear weapons capability in 1998. The two neighbors have engaged in an arms race since the partition of Pakistan from India in 1947.

Both neighbors have refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and other international regulatory pacts that restrict developing or testing nuclear weapons.

India considers the NPT as discriminatory, while Pakistan has indicated that it will not join the international treaty until its neighbor does so.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars with its nuclear-armed neighbor India since their independence from Britain in 1947.